Stay By Me
by Queza De Santi
Summary: Roy has just become the Fuhrer. Riza is beginning to feel useless now that Roy has reached his goal. In the end, there's nothing a bubble bath can't fix. Royai!


Title: **Stay By Me**

Author: Syv

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Pairing: Royai

Theme: bubble bath

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA nor any of the characters.

Word Count: 2 568

Note: Please forgive me if the characters seem rather OOC or if I made a mistake with certain details. I must admit I have never watched a single episode of FMA, nor have I read a single page of the manga. This fandom of mine was built solely based on fanfics. XP

The time had finally come. It was the dawn of a new age. What had once been but a far off dream had finally become reality. Roy Mustang was no longer a Colonel. He was the Fuhrer.

It had seemed so long ago when one Riza Hawkeye came to meet this black haired man, then only a boy some three years older than her. Compared to that, it wasn't too far back when the same golden haired girl made the promise that she would stay by this boy's side until he achieved his greatest dream. At this point in time, the years seemed to have flown by as if they were nothing.

The day had finally come to an end for Riza. From that moment in the morning when the announcement concerning the new Fuhrer came, Riza had been rocked by a multitude of emotions. Of course, her first reaction was one of complete joy as she was happy for her long time friend and superior. He had finally gotten to where he had always wanted to be. It was only after that joy faded a bit that she had been struck with an acute pity for herself.

She had never truly given much thought of what she would do after Roy had become Fuhrer. She had always contented herself with focusing on the present moment, and at that time, the present consisted of doing everything she could to help Roy achieve his dream. She had made a promise to stay with him until he accomplished his mission, but now that he had, he wouldn't need her by his side anymore. At least that was what she believed. She had no purpose in his life anymore now that her promise had been fulfilled. What now?

Riza had gone through that day trying to hide the confusion, sorrow and, ultimately, the fear that bubbled within her as she thought of how useless she was to the one man who meant the world to her. She knew she needed him and wanted him. She had long accepted that she loved the man, even though he was infamous for his playboy ways and laziness. It hurt her to think that he would never need her or love her in the same way. Her fears were great, but her self-control was greater. She was careful that none of these kinds of emotions manifested themselves in front of others, most especially the Fuhrer. Her mask of pride and joy was the only thing evident to those around her.

As the day came to a close, Riza finally let the mask fall. Her Colonel, for that's how he would always be for her, had gone home early. No one questioned him. After all, he was the Fuhrer now. Also, there was hardly anyone left in the headquarters. After the Fuhrer had taken his leave, everyone else felt they could do the same. Although the sun had hardly begun to set, the building was practically deserted. Riza could only sigh softly to herself as she tidied up her office one final time before she shut the lights and closed the door behind her.

Her walk home was hazy and confused. Her body definitely knew where it was going, but her mind seemed unable to follow. Instead, various thoughts collided with each other inside her head. What would she do now? She wasn't capable of much except shooting and keeping others in line. How would she cope after leaving behind the only real life she's ever known? What would the Fuhrer do when he found out about her "leave"? What would she do when he found out?

Before anything unsavoury took place, Riza reached her apartment. She stood on the porch, rifling in her bag for her keys. She was rather puzzled when she couldn't find them. She became rather wary when she tried the doorknob and the door opened smoothly.

"Hayate?" she called for her dog tentatively.

Almost immediately, the black canine responded to her call with a happy wag of his tail as he trotted towards her. Seeing her beloved pet in such a state, her wariness waned, and she chided herself for her paranoia. Surely, she had just left her keys and forgotten to lock the door. As long as Hayate was safe, it didn't really matter to her what they took from her house. There was hardly anything of value in it. She took most of her cherished possessions with her.

She closed and locked the front door before scratching Hayate behind the ears in greeting to her furry friend. She then moved towards her room to deposit all her belongings, but it seemed like Hayate had something else in mind for her to do. He quickly tugged at her pants before she could move any further into the house. He then made a motion for her to follow him. When she refused him by saying she would play with him afterwards, he became more persistent in tugging her pants and trying to lead her into the house. After a few minutes, she agreed to follow him.

"Hayate, hold on boy. What's the rush?" she laughingly called out to him as she followed to wherever it was he was so intent on taking her.

When she finally reached her destination though, she couldn't help herself as her jaw dropped in surprise. Hayate had led her to her personal bathroom. It wasn't so much the place that surprised her, but rather what was inside. The room was littered with rose petals red as blood. There were candles in "strategic" locations around the area, and the fragrance that filled the room was light and soothing. There was a bubble bath prepared in the tub, and the water was just the right warmth. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Welcome home, Riza," a smooth voice, one she was all too familiar with, broke the silence.

As she turned around, there stood Roy Mustang, the newly appointed Fuhrer, in a loose fitting polo and black pants. Although she wouldn't admit it out loud, Riza found him unbearably attractive at that moment, and she could almost swoon at seeing him like that in her bathroom. Instead, she settled for the more dignified approach.

"Co-colonel!"

Her stammered exclamation was the most dignified she could muster in such a situation. He seemed calmer about the entire matter.

"We're no longer at work, Riza. It's Roy," he corrected.

She blushed slightly as she collected her wits before repeating, "Roy. May I ask what you're doing here at this time?"

He smiled charmingly, so different from the smirk he would wear that would make other ladies practically melt at his feet. The effect to Riza was definitely multiplied a hundredfold. She didn't feel like simply melting at his feet. She was tempted to worship the very ground he walked on. Of course, that would be so out of character for her, so she settled for merely staring at him.

"I just thought I'd surprise you, Riza. Besides, I really want to thank you," Roy said in reply to her question.

"Thank me? I didn't do anything," Riza insisted.

"If it weren't for you, I'd never have gotten here," Roy explained, "To tell you the truth, I really didn't think it would be possible, and yet, here I am, thanks to you."

Riza blushed again. It was rare that Roy thanked her like this. She didn't believe for a bit that he had really reached his goal thanks to her. He was the great Flame Alchemist. Even without her, she was sure he'd have gotten to this point eventually. She was touched though that he'd go through all the trouble to do this for her.

Roy then approached her and took her bags from her hands. He carefully placed them inside her bedroom, adjacent to her bathroom. With that taken care of, he moved towards her and slowly began to unbutton her uniform. Riza was surprised to say the least. She couldn't imagine how forward he was being, and her gasp told him so. He merely smiled at her.

"Roy! What do you think you're doing!?"

"Well," he began smoothly, "You can't take a bath in your clothes."

"But!" her protest was quickly cut off.

"Do you trust me, Riza?"

She looked at him, mesmerized by the look of his dark eyes, "Yes."

She trusted him with her life, even though she wouldn't tell him that, at least not yet.

"Then let me do this for you. I won't do anything you don't want me to. Right now, I just want to give you a relaxing bath. Will you at least let me do that, Riza?" he stared at her, utterly serious.

"Yes," she replied softly.

He continued to unbutton her uniform and pulled off her pants. He then turned her to face away from him as he unclasped her bra and removed her underwear. Once all her clothes were removed, he turned his back to her and instructed her to get into the tub while he deposited her dirty clothes in the hamper. She obeyed. When he returned, she was up to her chest in bubbles. He smiled at the sight of her.

"What's so funny?" she asked with a grin.

"Nothing, you just look so adorable and harmless when you're submerged in bubbles like that," he replied with his trademark smirk.

Her eyes widened when she heard him call her 'adorable', but they narrowed into slits as she processed the 'harmless' in his comment, "I can still defend myself if necessary, even if I am sudsy, Colonel."

He laughed at her reply, before rolling up his pants and getting into the tub behind her. She let out yet another gasp of surprise as he did so. He smiled at her back as he got a sponge to clean her with. He unclipped her hair and let it cascade gracefully into the water. He stroked it with his hand before slowly moving it to fall down her shoulder instead of her back. He then began the process of bathing her as he rubbed her back with the sponge following the lines of her uncanny 'tattoo' with a gentleness she didn't know he was capable of. She couldn't help the sigh of contentment that escaped her lips at his ministrations. Roy could only smile upon hearing this.

After several minutes of contented silence, Roy stopped rubbing her back and, instead, settled his arms around her shoulders and smiled into her back.

"Roy?" Riza asked tentatively.

"Are you feeling better, Riza?" Roy gave his own question after a while.

Her eyes widened. Had he noticed her emotions after all, even when she went through great pains to hide them?

When she didn't reply immediately, Roy confirmed her suspicions, "You seemed worried this entire day. You tried to hide it behind your smile, and it did work on everyone else, but I hope you didn't expect me to fall for it. What's the matter, Riza? What are you so afraid of?"

He could read her better than she thought. He hit it right on the nail. She was afraid – afraid that he would no longer need her and that she would have to leave him, but how could she tell him that?

"Afraid? I'm not afraid, sir."

Roy sighed before he released his hold on her shoulders and gently turned her to face him, "Riza, tell me the truth."

She glanced at him for a few seconds before she bent her head slightly and sighed in resignation. She would have to tell him. The look in his eyes gave her no room for arguments.

"I... Now that you're Fuhrer, I've fulfilled my promise to you. Now that you've reached your goal, I am no longer of any use to you. I have to leave."

Roy was shocked. He didn't think she actually felt that way. In fact, his cry of outrage made known just how strongly he felt about what he heard.

He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eye, "Riza, how could you ever think that!? Is that why you had such big bags with you when you came home? You've already packed, and you didn't even try to consult me about any of this!? Did you even think to confirm your so-called beliefs? That is so unlike you, Riza! You're better than that! I thought you thought of **ME** much better than that! Could I really make you leave, Riza? You're telling me that I no longer need you just because I've reached my goal, just because I've become Fuhrer? There are still things you can do for me, Riza. You may have fulfilled that promise, but... can I possibly ask you to promise me one more thing?"

His words struck her hard. She felt like she'd been slapped in the face, even though he hadn't as much as lifted a finger to hurt her. She stared at him with confusion and just a bit of hope in her eyes as she waited for him to name the terms of her promise.

Seeing that she was hanging on to his every word, Roy took a deep breath and continued what he had started, "Riza, will you promise to stay by me for the rest of our lives?"

It seemed that this day was full of surprises for Riza. Perhaps the bubble bath did something to her head. She thought she just heard Roy propose to her. As she stared at his eyes, she realized he was serious, very much so. In fact, he actually had a ring out in front of her. Where the ring came from, she had no idea. It was a simple golden band with a blood red ruby in the shape of a tiny flower. It was like her wildest dreams were coming true, but Riza had a hard time believing in dreams.

"But, Roy, what about the fraternization law? We aren't allowed to," she started.

"I'm the Fuhrer now, Riza. I just got rid of that law this afternoon. As long as the two people are capable of remaining professional in the workplace, why stop them from loving each other?" Roy replied immediately.

She felt so stupid. She was so busy trying to rein in her emotions when Roy went ahead and took control of the situation. She couldn't believe she had no idea he had done such a thing to that law, and she was supposed to be his right-hand woman.

"Oh Roy, I..."

He smiled at her, "I'm just asking you to make me this one last promise, Riza."

"I promise, Roy," she smiled back at him.

He slipped the ring on her left ring finger before placing a chaste kiss on her rosy lips, "I love you, Riza. Thank you."

Riza could only smile against him. All her worries and fears of the day dissipated and gave way completely to the joy she felt at the beginning of the day. He wanted her by his side, and she would stay there now and forever. And, although he didn't say it out loud, she knew that he would stay by her side as well.

Throughout her life in the military, Riza had never obeyed a command more willingly than the one her Fuhrer gave her in her bathroom that day.

"Stay."


End file.
